"Mr. Kosuke." Senju Chen walked to him and squatted down to help clean up.
"Young Master Chen." Maruboshi Kosuke raised his head, with a gentle smile on his old but energetic face, "Old man, I don't have much ability, so I can help you at this time."
"You are serious." Senju Chen put a plate into the basin and was silent for a moment before slowly speaking, "Mr. Kosuke, do you think we really won this war?"
Maruboshi Kosuke stopped for a moment, and a sharp light flashed in his cloudy eyes, as if he had transformed from a kind old man into the "Eternal Genin" who had experienced countless winds and rains on the battlefield.
"Judging from the results, we won." He said solemnly, "But in the long run, this is just the beginning of another war."
"Oh?" Senju Chen looked at him with interest.
"The hatred between Iwagakure and Sunagakure, the chaos of Kirigakure, and the ambition of... Kumogakure." Maruboshi Kosuke's voice was not loud, but the words were clear, "It is like a spring that has been stepped into the mud. The harder it is pressed, the higher it rebounds. Peace can never be obtained by a war."
He is indeed a veteran who has gone through two Shinobi World wars. Senju Chen admired in his heart. The wisdom of this old man is far beyond what his "Genin" identity can summarize.
"So," Senju Chen's eyes became extremely serious, "I want to make some preparations. Make some preparations in advance for the next... war that may come again."
"Grandpa Kosuke, I need your help."
Maruboshi Kosuke wiped the last bowl clean and put it aside solemnly. He turned around and bowed slightly to Senju Chen: "Young Master Chen, the old man is also a man who is half-stepping into the ground. If you have any orders, just say it."
He has long regarded himself as Senju Clan's retainer. This loyalty has long been integrated into his blood.
"I hope you can help me accomplish something." Senju Chen looked at him and said word by word, "I'm going to... open a restaurant."
"..."
Maruboshi Kosuke was stunned. He had imagined countless possibilities, perhaps forming a secret force, perhaps assassinating a key figure, or perhaps stealing some important information.
But he never expected that the grand plan related to the future that Senju Chen mentioned was... to open a restaurant?
The expressions on his face, from serious to stunned to completely puzzled, were as wonderful as facial makeup changing.
"Chen...Young Master Chen, you mean... open a restaurant?" He asked with some uncertainty, wondering if he was hearing hallucinations because of his old age.
"Yes, open a restaurant." Senju Chen's expression was undeniably serious, "And it's not just one hotel, it's a chain of hotels. I want to open restaurants all over Shinobi World! Land of Fire, Land of Wind, Land of Earth, Land of Water... I want our hotel in every ninja village and every important town!"
Maruboshi Kosuke was completely confused. Looking at the talkative young man in front of him, he felt that his brain was a bit out of use. This... what is this picture?
You Senju Clan are already as rich as the rest of the world, do you still need to make money by opening a restaurant?
Senju Chen saw his doubts and explained patiently.
"Mr. Kosuke, think about it, who has the most people in a place? What information is the most informed?"
"Tavern, hotel..." Maruboshi Kosuke replied subconsciously.
"That's right!" Senju Chen snapped his fingers, "Ninjas, merchants, nobles, civilians... There are three religions and nine streams. As long as you are a human being, you need to eat. After three rounds of wine and five tastes of food, people are most likely to relax their vigilance. Where the troops have changed their defenses, which family has had some scandals, which daimyo has new preferences... All this information will flow out from their mouths inadvertently."
"Making money is only the most secondary purpose. My real purpose is to use these hotels to establish an... intelligence network covering the entire Shinobi World!"
Boom!
These words, like a thunder, exploded in Maruboshi Kosuke's mind!
He stared blankly at Senju Chen, feeling a chill rushing from the soles of his feet to Tianling Gai.
Using a hotel as a disguise to build an intelligence network large enough to cover the entire Shinobi World! What a crazy and genius idea this is!
The reason why Black Zetsu is scary is because he can wander in the dark like a ghost, steal all information, and stir up all disputes. Senju Chen cannot travel throughout Shinobi World like Black Zetsu, but he wants to use another way to create his own "eyes" and "ears"!
"This... this is so..." Maruboshi Kosuke's voice was trembling, and he couldn't find a suitable word to describe his mood at the moment.
"I can't come forward in this matter, and Senju Clan can't come forward either." Senju Chen continued, "So I need someone who is absolutely reliable, experienced, and unobtrusive to take charge of all this for me. Mr. Kosuke, you are the most suitable candidate."
"Me?" Maruboshi Kosuke pointed at himself, his face full of fear and uneasiness, "No, no! Young Master Chen, I... I'm just Genin, I don't have that ability! For such a big thing, I'm afraid... I'm afraid I will live up to your expectations!"
"Ability is not a problem, loyalty is." Senju Chen's eyes seemed to be able to see through people's hearts. "What I need is not a powerful ninja, but a helmsman worthy of trusting everything. Your experience, your wisdom, and your persistence in Konoha for decades are the best proof of your ability."
He took out a thick scroll from his arms and handed it to Maruboshi Kosuke.
"You have tried the previous meals. This is the recipe I compiled over the past year." Senju Chen took out a cookbook from his arms. "From the selection of materials, knife skills, heat, to the precise ratio of condiments, every step is clearly recorded. As long as you follow the above steps, even a person who has never cooked can still make top-notch delicious food."
"You don't need to show up directly, you just need to use this to train people. The standardized process can ensure that we can provide the same quality dishes everywhere. This is the foundation of our chain."
"In addition to hotels, we can also build hotels and hot springs. We want our hotel to become the most comfortable, safest and most delicious harbor in the heart of every traveler. When everyone gets used to eating in our hotel every time they go, then our intelligence network will also become."
"I also have a complete store opening process here, from opening a store to building a reputation. All you have to do is to cultivate talents and then expand quickly. I know this is not a short-term project, but Grandpa Kosuke, I still hope you can assist me in completing this task."
Maruboshi Kosuke thought about it again and again, and finally took the heavy scroll with trembling hands. It seemed that what he saw was not a recipe, but a grand blueprint that was about to change the entire Shinobi World pattern.
This thirteen-year-old boy has already looked beyond Konoha, beyond Land of Fire, and directly towards the whole world, towards the future decades later!
For a long time, Maruboshi Kosuke took a deep breath, and the flame rekindled in his cloudy eyes. That was the flame when he was young, following First Hokage and Second Hokage, and establishing Konoha!
Facing Senju Chen, he knelt down heavily on one knee, put his right hand on his chest, and performed the oldest samurai salute.
"Master Senju Chen, old man Maruboshi Kosuke, are willing to... take charge of this game for you! Until death!"
Senju Chen helped Maruboshi Kosuke up. "Grandpa Kosuke, let's call our hotel 'Food Is Heaven' in the future. I want Food Is Heaven to open it all over Shinobi World."
"Food Is Heaven..." Maruboshi Kosuke murmured and repeated the name, his eyes shining brightly.
The name is Food Is Heaven.
And they will use "food" as a chess piece to play a game... subverting the entire world of Shinobi World!